Spring is fighting to make an appearance here with constant rain casting a big old shadow over the Hills but there are signs the tides are turning. Each day I walk down our path past a beautiful weeping cherry blossom tree; it is Willow’s tree and it is defying the rain and cold to bloom. Willow was our beautiful Wolfhound who passed last year after being in our family for two short years. She was a senior adoption and a little over a year after she joined our clan, was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Each of our beautiful canine friends that have moved on to the stars has a tree with a letter from both myself and the Husband buried within its roots. The cherry blossom is Willow’s tree.

Once I saw her in bloom I got myself a bee in my bonnet. The flowers inspired me to make a cake; don’t ask me why, I don’t know what drives the kitchen fairies. I just know if you don’t listen to them, you’ll be up nights thinking about, well…cake.

A cake for our beautiful Willow girl, Big Mama. And not just any cake; a celebration cake stacked high and decorated with flowers.

This toasted coconut yoghurt naked cake is based on a recipe from Fernanda Capoblanco’s The Vegan Divas Cookbook. I have been meaning to make something from this book for eons so this seemed as good a time as any. As always, I tweaked the recipe – I think I have issues with authority because I am lousy at following recipes to the letter; I always follow my own path for better or worse. Fernanda’s recipe is beautiful but it calls for 3/4 cup of tofu liquid which, you get from draining tofu when you use it. It assumes a foresight and organisational level that I simply don’t possess; I just didn’t remember to drain my tofu even when I knew I needed to. Instead I used xanthan gum suspended in water as a thickener. I also swapped out some plain flour for spelt.

Xanthan gum is usually used to help bind gluten-free recipes in baking but here I used it to thicken. Suspended corn flour might be another substitute or if you are organised, the tofu water.

Another tweak was the addition of a coconut yoghurt frosting instead of a “cream cheese” or buttercream style. I will say buttercream would more likely bond the cake more tightly to achieve the smooth naked cake look but I prefer the slight tang of the yoghurt. With a touch of lemon zest it balances the coconut cakes so well.

I am not a natural baker and this vegan celebration cake challenge has been challenging. But, after several epic fails I am so happy with this toasted coconut yoghurt naked cake. Fernanda’s cake, with or without my tweaks, is a lovely success. It is a celebration cake in every sense and is something everyone will enjoy. I didn’t try and make this super healthy, although it is better than most, I simply wanted to make a cake inspired by the blossoms of Willow’s tree.

Mission accomplished and the kitchen fairies are quiet. For now. xx

Recipe Note: I separated the mixture in to two separate containers to create my tiers and baked for 25 minutes. Bake for 45 – 50 mins if you are making a single, larger cake. I made two batches of this toasted coconut yoghurt naked cake recipe to create four cakes for tiering. I only used three for the cake pictured.

To assemble, place one cake on a plate and pipe frosting on top. Place the second cake on top again and repeat the process. Using a spatula, smooth out the frosting to a thin layer around the cake to achieve the naked look.